Golden Tears
by bukibuki
Summary: Elena Gilbert's from a rich family of Mystic Falls. They'd been facing huge problems but things get worse when an accident happens. Anon calls and messages bother them to the point where Elena and Jeremy's lives are in terrible danger. She never thought it was because of their money. Elena thinks her life is over until she got to know the man who would change her life forever.AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers! I'm starting this Delena fanfic since my story "The Silver Lining" it's coming to an end. I have many ideas for this one in my mind but I'm posting this prologue right now so I can have some feedback. I'd really like to know what you guys think about this whole storyline.**

**The summary pretty much tells everything you need to know and in this prologue, you already have more information. I really hope you like the beginning of it and since I miss a lot two characters that are already dad in the show, this story will also have Jalaric. :)**

**It is Rated M because of the drama and the sexual explicit content, so be prepared… If you like smut, we will have quite some here…**

**Have fun reading!**

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**Prologue**

Elena arrived for her first day in the Mystic Falls University, one of the best universities of Virginia. She had been accepted in many other universities but she decided to stay in Mystic Falls instead of moving to another city. Elena didn't want to live far from her family and since her friends would stay there as well, she didn't really think much about going to another university. She parked her black convertible BMW at the parking lot and left the car with her Burberry bag.

Since the university was in the same city as she lived, she decided to continue living with her parents and brother at their huge mansion. Elena checked her schedule then went straight to the class where she would have History class.

Caroline and Bonnie, also known as Elena's best friends since kindergarten, were in the same university but Elena hadn't seen them yet. They were doing different courses so their schedules were somewhat different. While Elena was in the business course, Bonnie was doing med school and Caroline was in fashion.

As soon as she walked into the class, she saw Matt Donovan, her boyfriend, already there. They had spent the whole summer together traveling through Europe but Elena was starting to feel things were not the same since they got back to Mystic Falls.

"How are you, babe?" Matt asked Elena when she sat on the seat behind him.

"Fine," Elena smiled not really wanting to talk to him at that moment.

The first three periods of the day went by so slow for Elena that one hour looked like a year. Matt was in the business course as well so she would have many classes with him.

Not being hungry, Elena decided to walk through the beautiful campus instead of having lunch. She was sitting on a bench eating her small cereal bar when Bonnie showed up.

"Are you going to that party tonight?" Bonnie asked.

"I think so," Elena smiled.

"You didn't even tell me how was Europe with Matt!" Bonnie said wanting to know everything about their trip.

"Why don't you stop by my place before the party and I will tell you everything?" Elena suggested.

"Was it good, at least?" Bonnie giggled.

"Yeah," Elena laughed.

"Elena..." Bonnie said in a weird tone. "Do you know that guy?" She tried to show him to Elena only by using her eyes. "He's been staring at you for quite a while,"

"I've seen him at the city a few times but I don't even know his name..." Elena rolled her eyes then glanced at him.

The black haired man was still looking at her and he seemed to be ignoring his friend who was apparently talking to him just to gaze her. He then smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He had just taken off his leather jacket which made it possible for Elena to see his muscles. She was fascinated with how perfect his body was. Elena didn't even remember what she was wearing but she adjusted her hair while she smiled shyly at him.

A few minutes later, he walked past them giving Elena a cute smile, what made Elena stare at him until he disappeared, walking into the building.

"What the hell was that?" Bonnie asked surprised with Elena's actions.

"Did you see his eyes?" Elena asked amused with how perfect his blue eyes were.

"You do remember you have a boyfriend, don't you?" She looked at Elena shocked.

"That doesn't mean I can't appreciate another man's hotness..." Elena rolled her eyes. "He is so hot!"

"Well," Bonnie didn't really know what to say.

"Admit, Bon, you've never seen such a hot guy," Elena laughed.

"Okay, he is hot," Bonnie said. "He probably spends most of his time at gym..."

"I know... Matt plays football every single day and his body is not even close to that," Elena said.

"Do you think he'll be at the party?"

"Mhmm, I can see someone is interested," Elena laughed.

"We can't forget that he seemed interested on you and not on me but maybe it'll be worth trying," Bonnie smiled. "Unless you plan on getting him,"

Bonnie and Elena went to different buildings when they noticed their classes were about to start but Elena couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious man. She then decided that she was going to the party that night hoping that he would be there for her to see him again. Elena just couldn't wait to look at those blue eyes again.

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_**I hope you liked the Prologue! It'll mean the world for me if you tell me what you thought about this, okay? I'd like to know if I should continue writing it and you're the ones supposed to tell me that!**_

_**I love you all and I will post the first chapter as soon as possible!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey guys, I'm back! I'm sorry it took me so long to upload but I'm in Europe and I barely had any free time to write. Therefore, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks a lot for the reviews left on the prologue!_**

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**Chapter 2**

"Where is Audrey?" Bonnie asked Elena. "Gosh, how I love that cat..." She said making Elena laugh.

"She is probably wandering around the house," Elena smiled. "She only comes here when she wants to sleep,"

Elena opened the door to her closet and they walked into the room full of shoes and clothes. There was a red bag on the fluffy bench, which was in the middle of the living room, so Elena take it, grabbing a box from its inside.

"Oh my God," Bonnie jaw fell when she read Christian Louboutin written on the box.

"Happy Birthday!" Elena smiled handing Bonnie the box. "I was in Europe when you celebrated it but you know I would never forget about your birthday,"

"Elena, this is too perfect... I can't take it," Bonnie said insecure of whether she should or not accept the present.

"Bon, we're best friends... Actually, we're sisters so what's the matter?" Elena rolled her eyes. "My best friend turned 18 years this summer and I want you to have the best present I can give you..." She smiled.

"Elena... This was too expensive," Bonnie said.

"You know that's not a problem, Bonnie, just open the damn box and see if you like," Elena laughed. "I bought it in Paris especially for you,"

"Holy mother of God," Bonnie's eyes went wide when she opened the box to see the high heels her best friend had given her.

The high heels were black and simple but they were incredibly fancy and Bonnie just couldn't believe how perfect they were. Bonnie looked at Elena with a smile from ear to ear and hugged her best friend the tightest she could.

"I was in the store trying to choose which one you would like the most then I remembered that I wore this same model at graduation and you had loved it so I decided this would be the best choice," Elena explained smiling.

"I loved it, Lena!" Bonnie smiled. "Not to mention that this is from Paris!" She said excited.

"I'm glad you like it," Elena said. "Well, I already knew you would but it was priceless to see your face," She laughed.

"I don't even think I deserve this present," Bonnie said.

"Of course you deserve, Bon!" Elena giggled. "I know your dad can't afford this kind of shoe for you so I thought that it would be a good present for me to give you," She smiled.

"It's amazing... I don't know how to thank you for this."

"You don't need to do anything, Bonnie. You're my best friend slash sister since we were babies. I would give you a castle if I could,"

"You're amazing, Lena," Bonnie said hugging her. "Now I want to know everything about your trip with Matt," Bonnie asked. "And don't worry about the time because I brought my things and I'm gonna get ready here with you,"

"Alright,"

Elena and Bonnie walked back to Elena's room and sat on her bed. As they crossed her legs to start the conversation, Elena's white Persian cat jumped on the bed trying to get Bonnie's attention.

"Hey Audrey," Bonnie smiled caressing her head.

Audrey was a very docile cat and not like most of the cats, she loved someone caressing her head and her belly. She had gone to the pet shop that morning to take a bath so she was wearing a small crown on her head.

"You're so cute," Bonnie hugged the cat. "I can see your mom is turning you into a princess," She touched the small crown.

"She _is_ my princess,"

"Now start talking about your trip," Bonnie ordered. "I want to know everything and every single detail of it,"

"Matt and I spent two months in Europe, Bonnie," Elena laughed. "We're gonna stay here forever if I tell you every detail,"

"Tell me the important things, Elena," Bonnie said. "It's not like I want to know the color of the wall of the hotel room or what you two had for breakfast!" They laughed.

"Alright, I think the most important thing for you is that we slept together..." Elena blushed.

"How was it?" Bonnie's eyes shone.

"Amazing..." Elena smiled.

"The way you said that doesn't look like it was amazing..."

"It was really good. I enjoyed it but right now I regret," Elena explained.

"Oh, that's the problem..." Bonnie said. "What's wrong?"

"We did it in Italy... One month had already gone by and we were making out so we ended up having sex,"

"Were you drunk?" Bonnie asked and Elena shook her head.

"We had drunk sex quite a few times but the first time we couldn't be more sober," Elena told her. "I had already given him my virginity so I didn't see any problem on doing it again..."

"Well, yeah, I mean, it must have been very good for you to want to do it again," Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Sex is good, Bonnie, but I think I should have waited a little more,"

"You're eighteen, Lena... It's not like you're too young to have sex," Bonnie said.

"I know but look at you... You've dated a few times and your last relationship last one year but you didn't sleep with him because you didn't feel like he was the right one," Elena explained. "Not to mention that you dated Jeremy... That guy is crazy about this kind of stuff," She laughed.

"Sometimes I think it's too silly of me to be like this..." Bonnie laughed. "I mean, maybe it won't be that good to wait for the right guy,"

"My mom said the same thing..." Elena said. "I'm not even in the mood to go to that party anymore,"

"Oh come on, Elena! Something is making you sad and I'm sure it has something to do with Matt," Bonnie said. "Tell me what's wrong," She asked. "You know you can tell me everything..."

"He has been acting weird... I don't know," Elena rolled her eyes.

"Lena, please don't tell me it's because of that man we saw in college today..." Bonnie said.

"No," Elena said right away. "He's been weird for days and I thought you were going to try something with the mysterious man," She laughed.

"It was pretty clear that he was interested on you," Bonnie said.

"Probably but that doesn't mean you can't try," Elena smiled. "What if he is the one for you?"

"He's not..." Bonnie shook her head.

"Will he be the one to take the virginity of beautiful Bonnie? That's the million dollars question," Elena said as if she was doing the marketing of a product in a television program, making Bonnie laugh.

"Don't change the subject, lady... Did Matt do something to you?" Bonnie asked. "I swear to God, I will kill him with my own hands if he hurt you,"

"He is not the same. I can tell that. He is probably with me because he wants an entertainment." Elena said. "I found out that he goes to strip clubs and he probably cheats on me..."

"That's terrible, Elena!"

"I'm not hurt if that's what you want to know..." Elena told her. "I loved him a lot, you know that, but this feeling has been dying,"

"Then why don't you break up with him?" Bonnie suggested.

"I want to... I just don't know how to do it," Elena rolled her eyes sad. "He is my first boyfriend and we've dated for so long..."

"I'm sure you will do fine," Bonnie smiled.

"Elena, do you have condoms?" Jeremy walked into Elena's room without realizing that his ex-girlfriend was there. "Oh God, Bonnie... You're here," He said shocked.

Bonnie and Elena stared at Jeremy, a little surprised with his sudden appearence at the room. They couldn't help but laugh when he started blushing, embarassed because of what he had asked his sister.

"Don't worry about it, Jeremy," Bonnie smiled softly.

"Next time try knocking on the door," Elena told Jeremy while she walked to her desk.

"Sorry..." Jeremy said.

Elena opened the first drawer under her desk and took a small box from it. Opening the box, she grabbed two condoms and gave them to Jeremy.

"Do you ever use them?" Jeremy asked noticing that the number of condoms in Elena's box was never going down.

"Not as frequent as you..." Elena said and Bonnie couldn't help but laugh. "By the way, when are you going to finally buy condoms yourself?"

"You always have them... I don't need to go all the way to the city and buy them," Jeremy said. "Thanks, sis, you're the best," He kissed her cheek then left the room.

"I should stop giving him condoms..." Elena said walking back to the bed.

"Does he ask you all the time?" Bonnie asked.

"Kind of," Elena laughed. "He is dating this girl and they kind of do it a lot... Why do you ask? Are you interested?"

"No, not at all..." Bonnie rolled her eyes.

[...]

The party had started over an hour back and most of the people seemed to be drunk already. Matt was sitting on the couch with Elena sat on his legs while Bonnie was sitting in front of them. There were many empty bottles of beer on the coffee table in front of the couch meaning that they had already drunk that much.

"Do you think he is coming?" Bonnie asked Elena.

"Who is he?" Matt asked wrapping his arms around Elena.

"The hot guy we saw this morning at college..." Bonnie said getting a killer look from her best friend.

"_Bonnie_ is interested on him and I promise I'd help her if she needed something..." Elena said without looking at Matt's blue eyes.

"Bonnie is interested?" He said ironic. "I know you Elena and I don't like this sudden interest..."

"He is hot and I'm not gonna deny it," Elena said. "Just because he is hot, it doesn't mean I'm gonna sleep with him,"

"I still don't like it," Matt said. "You're mine and you know that,"

"Then why don't you stop flirting with every single girl that walks past us and start giving more attention to your girlfriend?" Elena gave back to him.

"I think I'm gonna go grab another beer," Bonnie stood up trying to avoid the arguing the couple was about to have. "I'll be right back," She walked to the bar. "Or not..." She whispered without looking back at Elena and Matt.

"Let's go upstairs?" Matt asked Elena.

"As far as I know the party is down here..." Elena said.

"There are people going up," He pointed to the couple walking up the stairs.

"You know exactly what they are going to do there, Matt,"

"Yeah, I do, and that's why I want to take you to the second floor..."

"I don't think Zack is gonna like that," Elena rolled her eyes.

Instead of continuing to insist, Matt pulled Elena into a passionate kiss. Elena was surprised at first but deepened the kiss as she felt Matt's tongue playing with hers. However, Elena could still feel there was something wrong because for some reason, even though the kiss was good, she didn't feel the love from him.

"Let's go upstairs..." Matt moaned in her ear.

"No," Elena moaned back then stood up from the couch.

Without saying anything to Matt, Elena walked out of the house, going straight to a bench on the frontyard. She sat on the bench thinking about her relationship with Matt and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how she wanted to put an end on their relationship. Taking her phone out of her purse, Elena began to look at their pictures from their trip to Europe.

"There you are!" Elena heard Matt's voice as he sat beside her.

"Matt, we need to talk,"

"Yes, we do," Matt said serious.

"I don't want this anymore, Matt," Elena started. "I've been thinking a lot about us and how you've been treating me since we came back from Europe and I have to say that I don't think we should be together anymore..."

"What?" Matt's eyes went wide. "The way I'm treating you?" He said getting a bit nervous. "What the hell did I do to you, Elena?!"  
"Everything seem different, Matt," Elena said. "I don't want to date anymore and that's it. You didn't do anything wrong but you didn't do anything right either,"

"Come on, Elena, you're acting stupid..." Matt tried to hold her hand but she pulled it on time and placed her hands under her legs.

"No, I'm not," Elena looked at him serious. "Are you a man or can't you handle a break up?" She said ironic. "I don't feel comfortable with you anymore, sorry,"

"Are you interested in someone else?" Matt asked.

"No. In fact, I'd like to be single for a while..." Elena smiled.

Matt and Elena kept quiet for a few minutes then he left without saying a single word. Elena knew he wasn't hurt with the break up but she knew that he was mad. Matt didn't really love Elena and she had already thought about him being interested on her money more than on her itself. Elena then smiled, happy that she wasn't his girlfriend anymore. She was tired of being his puppy and she was also tired of doing what he wanted.

"That will be good, Elena," She told herself.

[...]

"That was probably the worst meeting ever!" Elena heard Bonnie's voice behind her.

Elena was outside the house, at the balcony of the second floor. There were almost no one there and she had her arms on the grid of the balcony. Bonnie then noticed there was an empty glass by Elena's side.

"Are you trying to get drunk?" Bonnie asked her best friend.

"Enough to forget about this night..." Elena said drinking from the glass she was holding.

"What are you drinking?" Bonnie asked but Elena didn't answer. "Tequilla, Elena?" She said smelling the glass. "You do know you're gonna spend the whole day throwing up, right?"

"I don't care," Elena said. "Tell me about him!"

"Not until you tell me why you're trying to get drunk just so you can forget about tonight," Bonnie stated.

"I broke up with Matt," Elena said. "Is that enough for you?"

"You what?!" Bonnie's eyes went wide. "What happened?"

"After you left us to go look for him, Matt started asking me to go upstairs. Of course he wanted sex and I knew that so I kept saying no,"

"Are you okay?" Bonnie couldn't help but laugh. "As far as I know, you love doing such thing at parties... I mean, in a privite place of course,"

"Matt is different... He is not the same since we came back from Europe," Elena told Bonnie. "I feel like throwing up every time we kiss,"

"I think there is a high chance that he is cheating on you..." Bonnie asked.

"He probably is... But not with one girl, you know? He probably goes to the bar and hooks up with some girls when we don't go out together,"

"So you just dumped him?"

"Yeah... He was getting on my nerves and he made me feel disgusted with myself for some reason..." Elena said. "His life was all about sex and I don't wanna do it just because he wants it. I want it to be good and lovely... While we were in Europe, it was amazing, but now it's starting to look like he is just using me." She explained. "I realized I wasn't showing him my side of the story... I was silly so I thought I had to do what he wanted so I tried not to care when he wanted to be dominant in bed,"

"Elena! You should have broken up with him a long time ago if he was acting like this..." Bonnie said a bit surprised.

"I was coming here with my drinks a few minutes after I told him I didn't want to date anymore and he was already making out with a girl I have never seen,"

"Then it's her problem," Bonnie smiled. "You don't have to worry about anything anymore. He wasn't the right guy for you... So what? You're young and you're gonna find a hot right guy," They laughed. "Yeah... I like this smile," Bonnie said looking at Elena's happy face.

"Tell me about him!" Elena said excited remembering that Bonnie still hadn't told her about the hot guy they had seen at the college campus.

"Well, he was with two friends when I decided to go talk to him," Bonnie started. "I said hi and offered him a drink and that part was good because he accepted it and we went to another room. We started talking and I found out his name is Damon Salvatore..."

"Beautiful name," Elena said drinking her tequilla.

"I thought so too," Bonnie said. "I tried to flirt with him and by the way, I realized that my abilities of flirting are not that good," She laughed. "Actually, I think I bored him because he thanked me for the drink then left,"

"Maybe he is interested in someone else," Elena rolled her eyes.

"I also found out something interesting... He does business as well," Bonnie smiled.

"He is one year after you but you still do the same course,"

"I'm not interested on him, Bon," Elena said. "I'd like to keep distance from men for a while now,"

"Good," Bonnie said. "I think I'll try to flirt with him another day... Who knows? Maybe I can get something..."

"You wanna know what I think?" Bonnie just nodded. "I think you're too desperate to find a boyfriend since my idiot brother dumped you... Sometimes I think you're just trying to make him jealous," Elena explained. "But believe me, Jeremy is way to stupid to even notice that,"

"I'm not," As Bonnie rolled her eyes, Elena could be sure that was exactly what Bonnie had been doing so she gave her a suspcious look. "Okay, maybe I am..." Elena laughed.

"You still think the age difference is the problem, don't you?"

"That is one of the reasons, Lena," Bonnie said.

"I really don't understand," She laughed. "You're just two years older than him... Well, I can say that I loved having my brother dating my best friend,"

"He is sixteen, Elena," Bonnie said.

"I know you still love him... I saw the way you reacted when he entered my room asking for condoms..." Elena said. "Bonnie, let's go to my house? I'm tired of this party and I'm pretty sure I'll have ten more of this," She showed Bonnie the empty glass of tequilla. "if I continue here,"

"Yeah, sure," Bonnie smiled. "Have you seen Caroline, by the way?"

"She said she had to get her beauty sleep so she wouldn't make it to the party," Elena explained while they walked down the stairs.

"Caroline ditched a party to sleep?" Bonnie's eyes wide. "What the hell happened to her in New York?"

"Her flight was at 4AM today so she would get here on time to go to her first day of the year so she ended up not sleeping..." Elena told her. "Did you see her today? She was almost a zombie..."

"Elena!" Matt called her. "Can we talk?"

"I'm going home, Matt..." Elena said interlacing her arm on Bonnie's.

"It won't take long, I promise,"

"Matt, I'm not your girlfriend anymore for many reasons including the fact that I was practically your puppy... You can go back to make out with that girl because I'm going home and the last thing I want right now is to talk to you,"

"Do you really want to throw everything we had out of the window?" Matt asked.

"You talk as if you cared about our memories. But yes, I want it," Elena said walking away from him with Bonnie.

"You didn't love him, did you?" Bonnie looked at Elena as they walked to Bonnie's car.

"Why do you think that?"

"You're not even sad about the break up. Actually, it looks like you're relieved,"

"I am," Elena smiled at her best friend. "I'm not the kind of girl that is right for Matt. He doesn't stop thinking about sex and we have to do it when he wants it. If he is horny, we had to do wherever we were... It was ridiculous and I was stupid," She explained. "He should date a slut... I want to forget about this relationship and move on with my life,"

"I think you should meet someone new," Bonnie suggested entering the car. "There are plenty of guys wanting to date you,"

"That's not true,"

"Of course it is," Bonnie laughed. "You're popular, Elena..."

"And rich, and that is not a really good thing when you want to find a boyfriend,"

"Well, yeah, maybe they want the money... But you can still find your so dreamed soulmate,

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_**Well guys, that's it for the chapter. I hope you liked it even though there was no Delena interaction here. The story is not about Matt and Elena, obviously, so I made sure they broke up in this chapter already. Also, do not worry because there will not be any Bamon here. Damon is 100% Elena's, right? I promise there will be Damon and Elena interaction for next chapter.**_

_**Leave me your feedback! Reviews are very important to me and I really want to know what you guys think about the story and the chapter!**_

_**For the readers of TSL, I'll try to upload as soon as possible! :)**_

_**Review! :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Good morning, Mr. Gilbert," Gretel smiled as Grayson sat at the table for breakfast.

Gretel was wearing a dress that finished on her knees, the style of dress she would wear every day to work. There was an apron wrapped around her waist and her hair was in a braid. She had already finished setting the table for the family to have breakfast but since Grayson liked his coffee the hottest as possible, she was there to give it to him. Grayson sat at the point of the table then noticed there was four places set at the table instead of three.

"Who is here?" Grayson asked Gretel as she poured coffee into his cup.

"Bonnie," Gretel answered with a smile. "Do you want something else?" She asked.

"No, thank you," Grayson said. "Were you able to buy the books Katherine needed?" He asked in a low voice.

"Yes, sir," Gretel said. "In fact, I had fifty dollars left and I used it to buy fruits and vegetables that we needed,"

"Alright," Grayson said. "Do you need money for anything else?" He asked.

"No," Gretel answered simple and Grayson noticed she wasn't feeling comfortable with that talk.

"You can go," He smiled.

"Excuse me," Gretel said walking back to the kitchen.

"Good morning dad," Elena said walking into the room.

"Good morning, Mr. Gilbert," Bonnie smiled at him.

"Good morning girls," Grayson said as they sat at the table. "How was the party last night?"

"It was alright..." Bonnie said.

"I've been to better parties," Elena told him.

"Are you and Matt on a break again?" Grayson asked noticing that Elena wasn't wearing her ring anymore.

"I broke up with him last night but this time is forever," Elena said.

"She is not even hurt," Bonnie drank her orange juice. "Matt was an idiot," She rolled her eyes grabbing a waffle.

"You're the best, Bonnie," Grayson laughed.

Grayson had been friend with Bonnie's parent for decades. They were already best friends when the girls were born and that's why Elena and Bonnie knew each other since the crib. Elena had never had too much lucky when it came to choose friends because most of them would only be interested in her money. Bonnie, however, would still be Elena's best friend even if she lived under a bridge. Grayson was glad Elena had someone like Bonnie.

"Thank you," Bonnie laughed. "It is a good thing Elena started unfalling for Matt,"

"You could have unfallen for him before going to Europe, right? It would have saved me a lot of money," Grayson said and Bonnie couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll tell you the same thing when you grab your private plane and fly to Vegas just to play and drink," Elena said provoking her father playfuly.

"Good morning... Why isn't Caroline here?" Miranda asked walking into the room. "You three always spend the night together after a party," She said sitting next to Grayson.

"She was too tired from her flight back from New York so she decided to stay home and sleep..." Elena explained.

"I confess I'd rather have stayed at home too," Bonnie said.

"Did anything happen there?" Miranda asked. "Besides Elena and Matt breaking up for the twentyth time..."

"How can everyone know that we broke up?" Elena stopped eating just to make this question.

"You got rid of your ring, remember?" Bonnie told her. "Nothing happened, Miranda. It's just that the party was not that good," She explained.

"Are you okay, honey?" Miranda asked Elena noticing she didn't look that well.

Elena didn't even have time to give her mother was answer before she had to run to the closest bathroom. She was lucky it wasn't that far considering the size of their house. She rushed into the bathroom and started throwing up everything she had eaten for breakfast.

Back at the table, Grayson and Miranda looked at each other confused. Bonnie was focused on drinking her orange juice when she noticed there were four eyes on her, waiting for an explanation of what had just happened to their daughter.

"She threw up around five times during the night..." Bonnie told them.

"What did she drink?" Grayson asked.

"Tequila and vodka..." Bonnie said.

"Does she need a scold?" Grayson asked.

"She just got out of a two years relationship, Grayson," Miranda told him. "I'm sure she won't do it again..."

"Where is Jeremy, by the way?" Grayson asked.

"He didn't sleep at home... I stopped by at his room and his bed was undone," Miranda explained.

"If you excuse me, I'm gonna check on Elena," Bonnie smiled standing up from her seat. Listening to Miranda and Grayson talk about how her ex-boyfriend hadn't slept at home was only making her feel bad.

_**Meanwhile...**_

"Come on, mom," Katherine insisted. "What's the problem of giving me a hundred bucks so I can go out?"

"First of all, I don't have a hundred bucks," Gretel said using the same word Katherine had used. "And second, even if I had, I wouldn't give it to you because I know that you want money to spend the night drinking,"

"Ask Grayson," Katherine rolled her eyes while she put her books inside her bag. "I'm sure he would give you. He always does,"

"He gives me money so I can pay for your books, Katherine. Grayson already pays for your college so you better start being thankful for that," Gretel said giving her a scold. "You wouldn't be studying if it wasn't for this family,"

"Ugh, I hate this life!" Katherine complained.

"Did you clean your room like I asked you?" Gretel asked Katherine when he was about to leave the house by the kitchen's door.

Katherine was two years old than Elena and she was in the middle of college. Gretel had been the Gilbert's maid since Grayson and Miranda got married and he had always been nice to Katherine. Grayson then decided to pay for anything Katherine needed to have an education.

Gretel and Katherine lived in the small house at the backyard of the mansion. The house had two bedrooms, each bedroom with a bathroom, a good living room and a small kitchen. They lived alone and Katherine had no idea who her father was since Gretel never talked about him.

"Yes," Katherine said then closed the door grabbing an apple.

"This girl will drive me crazy," Gretel whispered to herself.

[...]

"Are you sure you want to go to college?" Bonnie asked Elena.

"I'm sure, Bon," Elena smiled while choosing a jacket.

"Elena, you've been throwing up since we got here last night..." Bonnie said.

"I know but I'm feeling better,"

"That's what you said a couple of hours ago before you threw up for the fourth time,"

"I don't wanna stay here, Bonnie," Elena laughed. "I'm feeling alright..."

"Your dad thinks you're pregnant," Bonnie laughed.

"What?!" Elena's eyes went wide when she turned to look at Bonnie.

"He asked me if you were pregnant while you were st the bathroom throwing up," Bonnie told her. "I told him as far as I knew you were not,"

"I would never risk getting pregnant," Elena said.

"Imagine being stuck to Matt for your whole life," Bonnie said.

"Eww," Elena said walking out of the bedroom with Bonnie.

"It's amazing how over him you are," Bonnie said.

"He was getting on my nerves. He couldn't think about me for once. Everything had to be like he wanted," Elena told her.

"You deserve better,"

"We're leaving, mom," Elena said when they finished walking down the stairs.

"Are you coming home right after class?" Miranda asked Elena.

"Yes," Elena smiled.

"Bye, Miranda," Bonnie said.

"Hope to see you soon, Bonnie,"

Elena and Bonnie walked all the way to the garage and entered in Bonnie's car. Bonnie had gone to Elena's place with her car so she offered to give Elena a ride. Their college was twenty minutes away from Elena's house so they went all the way talking about the night before.

"Today is a new day," Bonnie started. "Which means I'm going to focus on another hot guy,"

"I cannot believe you gave up on that Damon guy!" Elena said surprised.

"He didn't like me, Elena," Bonnie looked at her. "How many times will I have to tell you this?"

"He probably didn't realize how cool you are! Maybe he is that kind of guy that keeps staring at your boobs or ass and doesn't listen to a word you're saying," Elena rolled her eyes.

"I don't have big boobs, which means he wasn't interested at all. He was just trying to think about something else..." Bonnie explained. "Do you know if he had a girlfriend?"

"How in Earth am I supposed to know that?" Elena asked making Bonnie laugh. "What else do you want? His phone number? His adress?"

"You two are in business... You study in the same building... You could have seen him with someone," Bonnie supposed.

"You do know yesterday was my first day ever in that campus, right?" Elena laughed. "I'll pay more attention today,"

"That's not necessary... I'm not interested anymore," Bonnie said. "You can try if you want. Maybe he will like you,"

"What do I have that you don't?" Elena asked.

"Money?" Bonnie said playfully. "Just kidding..."

"Good," Elena smiled. "I was already going to punch you,"

"I don't know, Elena. What I do know is that he is not interested on me so maybe you can try..." Bonnie suggested. "You're a single lady now,"

"Actually, I was thinking about staying single for a while..." Elena said.

"As if dating was a bad thing," Bonnie laughed.

"It isn't... We both know how good it is but I just got out of a long relationship," Elena explained and Bonnie nodded. "I promised myself I wasn't going to flirt with anyone for two months,"

"When did you made this stupid promise?" Bonnie couldn't help but laugh really hard.

"Last night..." Elena said simple.

"After how many shots of tequila?" Bonnie asked.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Elena said stucking her tongue out at her. "Maybe what I did last night was stupid but you don't need to keep reminding me of it every ten minutes,"

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said. "I promise I'll stop,"

"You better do, Bennett,"

[...]

Elena had just left Math class when she stopped by her locker to leave her material. She opened the metal door and couldn't help but stare at the pictures she had there. There were many pictures of her with Bonnie and Caroline but there were pictures of her and Matt. All the four pictures she had with Matt were from their trip to Europe. The first one had Elena and Matt kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower, the second one had them in a boat in Venice, the third one had them at the Big Ben and the fourth one had them at a beach in Portugal. It didn't take two minutes for Elena to take all of them from the small door and put it inside a notebook. She then threw her books inside the locker and grabbed her wallet.

When Elena closed the door, she noticed that Damon was staring at her. However, he turned his head and tried to focus on something else as he saw her looking back at him. Elena couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. She thought about how cute and embarassing that had been and walked to the cafeteria thinking about him. On her way to the cafeteria, Elena walked past Damon group and tried her best not to look at him but she knew he was staring at her.

"She is so hot!" Elena heard one of the guys say.

"She has a boyfriend, you idiot," An other guy said.

Unfortunately, Elena had never heard Damon's voice so she couldn't tell if one of those sentences had come from him.

"Not anymore," Elena giggled before leaving that hallway.

_Bonnie and I were waiting for u to have lunch but then her dad called wanting to talk to her so we came to the city asap. I hope u don't mind having lunch by yourself today._ She read Caroline's text as she walked into the cafeteria.

Not wanting to have lunch alone, Elena grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of apple juice and went to the garden of the university. She had bought a Vogue on her way to the college so she sat on the grass, with her back against a tree and grabbed the newest version of the iPhone she had bought in Europe. Putting on her earphones, Elena started reading her magazine while having her lunch.

_It's okay, Care._ Elena finally replied to Caroline.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Elena took off her earphones right away as she heard someone talking to her.

Elena put her sunglasses down then looked up to realize that Damon was standing right in front of her. She didn't really know what to say to him so she just kept staring at him.

"It's so hot in that cafeteria that everyone decided to eat outside and you have this shadow all to yourself..." Damon tried his best to be nice.

"Yeah, sure, you can sit here," Elena smiled.

"I promise I won't bother you," Damon said sitting against the tree.

Elena put back on her sunglasses and earphones and focused on her magazine. She wasn't looking at him but from the side of her eye, she could see that he was glancing at her all the time.

"Would you like one?" Damon offered her the biscuit he was eating.

"No, thank you," Elena smiled.

"Don't tell me you don't like biscuits," Damon said.

The article she was reading in Vogue was super interesting but Elena realized Damon was trying to start a conversation with her. Although she was feeling a little awkward and uncomfortable there, she knew she had to be polite and talk to him. He was being nice to her unlike the other guys that had already tried to have something with her. She thought he deserved that conversation.

"Fine, give me one," Elena laughed.

Damon handed her the small plastic bag for her to take one biscuit. There was nothing written on the bag so Elena was only going to find out the flavor of the biscuit when she tasted it. She blushed as she noticed Damon was staring at her waiting for her to eat it.

"It's really good," Elena smiled eating it. "What is it? Coconut?" She asked politely.

"Yeah," Damon smirked at her. "My mom bakes them. Coconut is my favorite," He said.

"It tastes good," Elena smiled glancing at her magazine.

"Take more," He offered softly handing her the bag.

"I'm alright... I don't wanna eat your biscuits because as I can see, this is your lunch," Elena laughed.

"I don't mind sharing them..." Damon smiled. "Come on, grab some," He insisted.

"Thanks," Elena smiled. She was starving. The sandwich hadn't been enough.

"May I ask why you're all by yourself here?" Damon asked politely.

"My best friends had to go to the city to do something and I stayed on my own for the day," Elena explained with a smile.

"Were you at the party last night?" Damon asked even though he knew the answer.

_"Damon, have you already asked that car your father?" Damon's best friend asked him. "He promised you that you could get it and until now we're still taking the bus every single day,"_

_"You take the bus because you want," Joe, another friend of Damon, told Jason. "Your mother gave you a bike last Christmas..."_

_"My mother is not normal when it comes to Christmas presents... That doesn't count," Jason explained. "Not to mention that it would take me one hour to get here if I came by bike. I would get here wet,"_

_"I'm sure girls would love it," Joe said then got a punch on the arm by Jason._

_"Damon, did you ask for the car?" Jason asked again then noticed he was focused on something and that's why he was not answering. "Damon!" Still nothing. "Earth calling Damon, Earth calling Damon," Jason said waving his hand in front of Damon's face._

_"What the hell man?" Damon asked out of sudden._

_"What are you looking at?" Jason asked curious._

_"You are so focused on something that you're not even listening to us,"_

_"I'm sure I'm not missing much," Damon said gazing the stunning brunette just a few feet from him._

_"She is so beautiful," Damon whispered._

_"Which one?" Joe asked._

_"Her," Damon pointed at Elena._

_"Are you out of your mind, Damon?" Jason almost yelled. "That's Elena Gilbert!"_

_"Exactly..." Damon couldn't stop gazing her._

_Elena was talking to Bonnie and Matt and Damon had a perfect view of the right side of her body. Matt and Elena had some distance between them which made Damon even happier. Elena was wearing a dress that made her curves even more perfect. He was amused with her beautiful legs, her butt and also her boobs but that was not all. He couldn't stop gazing at the beautiful smile she had on her face and how she put her hair behind her ear everytime she blushed and giggled._

_"You're nothing compared to her," Jason told Damon. "She would be the Queen of England and you'd be just a guy from North Carolina..."_

_"What the hell are you saying, Jason?" Joe looked at him not so surprised with the bullshit his friend was saying._

_"Look at her..." Jason said. "She is beautiful and probably the hottest girl in our business building. She is the richest girl of town and she has a boyfriend," He explained. "You'll never be even close to have her. You're just wasting your time..."_

_"It's not like he is poor, Jason," Joe said._

_"He doesn't even have a car!" Jason complained and Joe couldn't help but laugh at the truth. "You'll never be able to afford a princess like her, Damon," He said. "You better don't hold your breathe,"_

_"I'd do anything to have her," Damon smiled. He knew he could do it._

"I was... I left early though," Elena smiled without mentioning that she had broken up with Matt. Something that would make that day, the best day of Damon's life.

"It wasn't that good, was it?" Damon asked getting a laugh from Elena. "I was expecting more..."

"Yeah..." Elena rolled her eyes.

"Are you enjoying business school?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," Elena said. "My father has many lands in the country side because of the fabric so I'm gonna take care of it all later," She smiled talking about the factory of milk and cheese her father was the owner. "I love economy... Besides, my brother doesn't even seem interested in college. We all know he won't be the one taking care of the family business and since I love this area, I decided to work with it... What about you?"

"I didn't really like it at first but then it got better," He laughed. "I'm more like the party guy than the nerd one,"

When the subject ended and Damon had no idea what else to say, he caught himself gazing Elena. He already knew how beautiful she was but now he was face to face to her and that only made her look even more stunning. She had a beautiful smile on her lips and her cheeks were perfectly rosed. She blushed a bit more when she realized he was looking at her and started looking down.

Damon then looked at the watch on his wrist and noticed it was time to go back to class. "It was nice talking to you, Elena, but I have to go now..." He said standing up.

"I don't remember telling you my name," Elena rolled her eyes.

"What's my name?" Damon asked her.

"Damon," Elena answered.

"See? I didn't tell you my name either but you still know it," Damon explained. "See you around," He said leaving.

"His eyes are so blue!" It was everything Elena could tell herself after Damon left.

_**YAY! Finally some Delena interaction here! I hope you liked the chapter!**_

_**Now that I'm back from Europe I will try to upload new chapters faster but it won't be every day since I have a lot of things to do. :D**_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews you left on last chapter! They are very important for me to know what you guys think about the story so please review here, okay?**_

_**REVIEW AND MAKE ME HAPPY! *-***_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Bonnie and Elena walked into a crowded Mystic Grill and smiled at the waitress that was walking past them. They then walked to the only left table and sat there before ordering their lunch.

"So, is everything ready for the party today?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes," Elena stated. "My parents are going to New York to do some business stuff so we won't be bothered at all..."

"You told me you were going to warn them about the party that we're gonna throw!" Bonnie said surprised.

"I did, Bon, I told them... They spent the whole morning hiding everything that breaks in their room," Elena laughed. "All that crystal stuff that my mom has, she put them in her room and locked it,"

"Oh that's good them..." Bonnie said relieved. "I really don't want to be in those movie scenes where the parents arrive home earlier to catch their kids throwing a party," They laughed.

"Jeremy is excited about the party... He told me he has some important stuff to do," Elena told Bonnie. "Maybe he is trying to get you,"

"He is not, Elena," Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He is too busy with those high school girls..."

"Why don't you seduce him? I know you still like my brother..." Elena said.

"We've talked about this already, Elena," Bonnie said. "I don't want to talk about it again,"

"If you say so," Elena said.

"Cheeseburger?" The waitress asked them politely.

"Here," Elena smiled and the waitress put the cheeseburger in front of Elena.

"Spaghetti for you then," She said putting it in front of Bonnie.

"Thank you," The girls said at the same time.

"Don't you think it's time for you to order something healthier?" Bonnie asked Elena. "You ordered a burger in every single dinner we had this week,"

"I'm allowing myself to do everything I want and eat what I want since I broke up with Matt..." Elena told her. "I wanted him to love my body and he didn't even care. I kept myself from eating burger and fries for so long now I'm gonna be happy,"

"Elena, you broke up with Matt three weeks ago!" Bonnie stated. "You're not fat but so many burgers will make you gain weight,"

"Fine, I'll start eating better, I promise," Elena smiled.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Bonnie asked. "You wouldn't be eating this fast if you're not worried..."

"Yeah... My dad told me that there are some weird stuff going on and he only told me because I would understand," Elena told her.

"Everything will be fine, Lena,"

"I hope so..." Elena said. "My dad hired two men to follow me everywhere... I hate bodyguards. I feel like I don't have any privacy,"

"He is doing this to protect you because you're the richest family of Mystic Falls and we both know that there are bad people who is capable of doing anything..." Bonnie said.

"Yeah, I know that," Elena said.

"Are they here now?"

"Yeah," Elena laughed. "My dad said that the only place I won't need them is inside my house..."

"You were in my house this morning," Bonnie's eyes went wide. "Does that mean they were hidden inside my house?"

"Of course not, Bonnie," Elena started laughing. "They were outside checking if nothing was wrong and making sure I'd be safe,"

"It's a great thing though... I end up being safe too," Bonnie laughed. "Oh look who just walked in," Bonnie said and Elena looked at the door right away. "Your future boyfriend..."

"Why is he my first boyfriend? I barely know him, Bonnie!" Elena said.

"Come on, Elena, don't lie to your best friend," Bonnie asked. "You've told me yourself that you've been talking to him frequently,"

"We haven't been talking that much, Bonnie," Elena rolled her eyes. "And if we were, that still wouldn't make me my future boyfriend,"

"But he is into you! Why can't you realize that?" Bonnie asked. "I can see the way he looks at you and I'm sure that's his flirting look,"

"You're crazy, Bon," Elena laughed.

"He doesn't have where to seat... Why don't we invite him to have lunch with us?" Bonnie asked looking at the crowded place they were in.

"We've already finished having lunch, Bonnie," Elena told her.

"He is your friend, Elena! You should be polite and invite him to come join us,"

"I'm not doing it," Elena rolled her eyes.

"Then I am," Bonnie said raising her arm to call Damon. "Damon," He look at her right away and Elena decided to look to the floor not to look at him.

"Good afternoon girls," Damon smiled politely.

"Would you like to sit with us?" Bonnie asked him. "We noticed that you didn't really have where else to sit..."

"If I'm not going to bother you..." Damon said.

"Of course not," Bonnie smiled. "I know you and Elena are friends,"

"Do you mind if I join you, Elena?" Damon asked and she finally looked up to face him.

"I just remembered I have a paper due tomorrow and I haven't even started..." Elena said standing up. "Yes, Damon, you can sit here but unfortunately, I can't stay," She said.

Elena was about to walk away from the table when Bonnie looked at her giving her best friend the devil look.

"Oh you didn't!" Bonnie whispered.

"Oh yeah, I did it," Elena said leaving.

"Well, it's a pity she had to go," Bonnie looked at Damon embarrassed.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you, Bonnie," Damon said. "I'm kind of glad that Elena left. I know she did it just to ignore me because we both know that Elena never leaves a paper for the day before the due date,"

"How do you know that?" Bonnie asked surprised. "You don't even have classes together..."

"It doesn't take long for someone to notice that she is a good student," Damon rolled his eyes.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" Bonnie asked. "Go straight to the point,"

"Did I do something to Elena?" Damon asked her. "She's been ignoring me for days now... I try to get closer of her and she just leaves. You've just noticed that,"

"Damon, Elena dated Matt for a long time and their last months together were a nightmare to her. He was treating her really bad and the only thing that mattered was him, not her. Elena knows that you're flirting with her and she is trying to avoid you so she won't start another relationship that will hurt her," Bonnie explained.

"What makes her think that I'll hurt her if we start something?"

"Men are all the same, Damon," Bonnie told him. "It doesn't take much for a girl to be scared of dating again. Not to mention that there are a lot of other things involved..."

"What other things?" Damon asked curious.

"She is rich, Damon," Bonnie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know that," Damon said.

"Elena is eighteen years old and until now, she hasn't met a guy who is not interested on her money," Bonnie said. "She needs someone to love her, not her money..."

"I kind of have a thing for her, Bonnie, I think you were able to realize that last time we talked..." Damon said. "You are her best friend... Can't you help me?"

"There is nothing I can do, Damon," Bonnie answered. "You're the only one that can make her believe that you're interested in her, not the money,"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Damon asked her.

"If you really want her, I'm sure you'll figure out how," Bonnie put a fifty dollars bill on the table to pay for their lunch then stood up. "That's all I can tell you," She smiled.

[…]

"I hate this family, I hate this house, I hate this life!" Katherine complained throwing the dish cloth on the table.

"Katherine Pierce, you get back here now and help me," Gretel ordered when Katherine was about to leave the kitchen.

"I've already told you a thousand times that I'm _not_ gonna be a maid!" Katherine said angry.

"Katherine, I need help to make everything clean during this party!" Gretel told her.

"I don't care! Those stupid kids can do a hell of a party and I'm the one to clean it?" Katherine laughed mean. "No, I'm not gonna help you with that. If you want someone to clean this kitchen you better ask stupid Elena to do it,"

"It's our job to take care of the house and make sure it's clean," Gretel said. "Grayson and Miranda went on a trip and they need to arrive and find a clean house," She explained.

"That's your job! Not mine! I'm gonna be rich! If you want to live in this stupid house getting a horrible salary then that's your problem!" Katherine yelled.

"Don't yell at me!" Gretel said grabbing her arm.

"This coat is Burbery," Gretel pulled Katherine to her so she could look at the label of the coat. "It looks like the ones Elena has in her closet. Katherine, did you steal it from Elena?" She raised her voice.

"No!" Katherine screamed.

"Then where did you get it?" Gretel wanted an answer and Katherine knew that.

"It's none of your business," Katherine rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to keep talking like this to me or are you going to ease your tone?" Gretel asked glaring at her. "You better choose the second option otherwise you're not leaving this house."

"A _friend_ gave it to me, okay? Get over it!" Katherine said. "I'm going out with my friends... You better don't wait me up because I'm not even gonna come back tonight,"

"Katherine, don't get drunk... You know it's not good," Gretel tried to say but Katherine had already left the kitchen closing the door with all her strength.

The party at the Gilbert's house had already started and the living room had not much not less than 150 teenagers. They were both Jeremy's and Elena's friends so there were a lot of people. Elena, however, was still in her bedroom getting ready.

Caroline was finishing to apply her lipstick and Bonnie was sitting on Elena's bed waiting for her slow best friends to get ready. Elena was almost done but she didn't seem to find her heels in the mess that was her room. Caroline was wearing a blue dress and black high heels with a light make up. Bonnie was wearing a black dress and the high heels Elena had gotten her for her birthday. Elena was also in a black dress but her high heels were dark red and her make up was light with a red lipstick to make it sexier.

"You should lock your room if you don't want any crazy couple hooking up on your bed," Bonnie warned Elena as they walked out of the room.

They walked down the stairs and Caroline went straight to the bar as she got to the first floor.

"I'm gonna walk around to see if there is any interesting guy in this party," Bonnie said leaving Elena alone.

Elena looked around and noticed that there were some guys' eyes staring at her, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She was caught in her thoughts when she saw Rebekah walking towards her.

"Elena, my dear, look at my new boyfriend," Rebekah smiled holding Matt's hand.

"Oh, so you two are dating now?" Elena asked not even interested.

Rebekah had been Elena's friend during the entire high school but things started to change a lot around the time they would graduate. Elena and Bonnie figured out that all Rebekah did was talk about them to other people and behind their back. Once, Caroline, Bonnie and Elena were in the school bathroom when Rebekah walked in with her two friends. The three girls hid themselves inside the cabins and after ten minutes listening to what Rebekah was telling her friends, they realized that Rebekah was never a friend to them. She just wanted the popularity Elena and Caroline had. Since that time in the bathroom, the three girls had never talked to Rebekah again.

"Yeah, why? You jealous?" Matt rolled his eyes.

"I really am not, Matt," Elena said simple.

"How could you dump him, Elena? He is so good in bed!" Rebekah giggled.

_Being the whore you are, you two have probably tried every single position of Kama Sutra already. _Elena thought.

"Yeah, he is awesome in bed..." Elena said sarcastic. "Matt loves to treat you as if you were a human sex doll just for him to play with,"

"That's it, Elena, what's your problem?" Matt hit the wall leaving Elena stuck between his arms. Her back was against the wall but she was not even afraid. She knew Matt wouldn't do anything to her in the middle of the party. "You better shut your mouth, dirty. I remember how kinky you liked to be in bed..."

"Is anything wrong here?" Damon asked staring at Matt.

"Who are you?" Matt asked not recognizing him from anywhere.

"Elena's friend," Damon rolled his blue eyes while Elena gazed them.

"Well, I just wanted to show you my new boyfriend," Rebekah said pulling Matt to her.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked Elena after the couple had disappeared.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Elena smiled. "I'm going to get a drink. Walk with me?" She asked politely.

"Sure," Damon said. "Nice house,"

"Thank you, why don't we grab a drink and I'll show you my favorite place?" Elena suggested.

"I thought you hated me," Damon laughed. "You completely ignored me this afternoon..."

"Do you wanna go there or not?" Elena asked handing him a drink and grabbing hers.

"Yeah, sure," Damon smiled.

_Of course I want to go somewhere we will be completely alone._ Damon thought.

Elena walked out of the house quiet and Damon didn't even dare to break the silence. He was just following Elena, which made him get a little scared when he noticed they were walking away from the house even more. There were some high trees leaving their way darker but soon they arrived at a huge tree. As Damon looked up, he noticed there was a tree house up there.

"You have a tree house?" Damon asked smiling.

"Yes, would you like to go up there?" Elena asked.

"Are you considering the option of going up and leaving me down here all alone?" Damon asked shocked.

"Why? Are you afraid of the dark?" Elena joked.

"Of course not," Damon rolled his eyes. "No man is afraid of the dark..."

Damon and Elena went up the stairs until they got at the top of the tree house. At first, Damon looked at Elena a bit surprised since there was no lights up there. He couldn't help but feel a little scared of what was going to happen to him for being in the dark with her. Damon was about to open his mouth to tell Elena he was going back to the party when Elena turned on the yellow lights. Damon's eyes went wide in surprise when he noticed how cozy that house was. There were mattress and blankets on a pile against the wall, there was a small fridge against another wall and what made Damon even more surprised was that there was a television and a fireplace there.

"Is it your way to hook up with guys?" Damon asked Elena.

"Actually, Damon, you're the first guy I bring here," Elena told him. "Not even my father has come up here... I come here when I want to stay on my own and when Bonnie, Caroline and I want to share secrets,"

"May I ask what I'm doing here?" Damon asked. "I'm gonna say I'm a bit scared now,"

"I want you stop talking to Bonnie about what you want..." Elena started. "I want you to tell me, not Bonnie,"

"What?" Damon asked surprised with what Elena had just said.

"Don't worry, I have a really good friend here," Elena laughed showing him a bottle of whisky.

Damon poured some whisky in two glasses and handed one of them to Elena, who smiled at her. They were sitting on the wood floor of the tree house and both of them were staring at the floor.

"Remember when we first talked?" Damon asked. "You were all alone at campus and I tried to start a conversation with you..."

"Yeah, I do," Elena said. "It was a nice talk... I want you to tell me what you've been telling Bonnie, Damon," She asked. "I know I've been ignoring you and I did that because I was scared..."

"Scared of what?"

"Getting hurt again." Elena said looking down. "I bet you know why I only have two true friends..."

"You think I want your money?" Damon raised his voice.

"No! Of course not!" Elena said. "That's not what I meant..."

"What are you trying to say, Elena?" Damon asked. "I'm sorry but I think we should go back to the party..." He said standing up.

"Go back to the party then... I'm not in the party mood anyway,"

"Elena... We talked and it was awesome and it would make me incredibly happy to have you as a friend, but that's not the worst part," Damon said. "I like you, Elena. Yes, I like you. That's what I wanted you to know..." He told her. "But I know you just got out of a relationship and I can see you don't want to start another right now. I just needed to tell you this because I've tried to do it before but you always gave me a cold shoulder," He said walking to the stairs. "Now you know,"

"Damon wait!" Elena asked but he was already walking down the stairs.

"I will see you later," Damon said.

"I want to be your friend too…" Elena whispered as she saw Damon disappear under the high trees.

[…]

"Have you seen Damon?" Elena asked Caroline.

It was around two in the morning and since the talk in the tree house, which had been over three hours back, Elena hadn't talked to Damon. Her house was so big that she had been looking for him for quite some time but she still hadn't found him.

"No, Lena, sorry," Caroline said. "I was actually looking for Bonnie,"

"She is probably trying to get Jeremy back," Elena laughed.

"What?!" Caroline almost yelled in surprise. "Bonnie wants to get back with him? Why hasn't she told me about that?"

"I don't know for sure, Care, but I've noticed that she isn't over him… Not at all," Elena smiled. "I will keep looking for Damon. If you see him please tell him I'm looking for him,"

"Oh Gosh, please tell me I didn't screw up…" Elena told herself as she walked around her house looking for Damon.

"Hi!" Jason stopped right in front of her getting Elena to jump in fright.

"Do I _know_ you?" Elena asked trying to remember how many glasses of whisky she had already drunk that night.

"Sorry, I'm Jason," He said.

"Okay… How may I help you, Jason?" Elena had no idea what Jason was trying to get from her.

"Sorry, I'm a little gawky sometimes…" Jason said running his hand through his brown hair.

"That's alright," Elena said. "I think…"

"Sorry, I'll say it,"

"Jason, why don't you stop saying sorry and go straight to the point?" Elena suggested.

"Sorry, I will," Jason said making Elena laugh. "I'm one of Damon's best friend…"

"Oh good, someone that knows Damon… Have you seen him?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, he left a couple of hours ago… He said that he had come here for a reason and then something happened and it made him realize that he wouldn't be successful in what he wanted so he just went home to "crawl in a hole and die"… His words," Jason explained.

"He _left_?" Elena said in such a low tone that Jason could notice how sad she was from hearing that.

"Yeah…" Jason said. "He seemed pretty down,"

"Would you do me a favor?" Elena asked and Jason just nodded. He couldn't believe he was talking to Elena Gilbert. "Can you give him this?" She handed him a small note. "It's my number… Just tell him to call me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll give it to him as soon as I see him," Jason smiled.

"Thank you," Elena smiled then started walking away from Jason. "Oh, what were you going to tell me?"

"Never mind…" Jason rolled his eyes. Damon would tell her herself since he had her number now.

_**Two weeks later…**_

Miranda walked into the office Grayson had in his house and found him by his desk, trying to solve more problems of the company.

"What's wrong now, honey?" Miranda asked walking towards the table.

"The amount of money the factory receives is not being enough to pay for all the cost of the factory..." Grayson told her. "The price of the raw material has gone up too fast and the vending has gone down so I had to use money from our personal bank account and now it seems that it was a really bad idea," He explained.

"What are you going to do?" Miranda asked.

"If we keep sinking money in this factory, we're only going to lose it..." Grayson said. "I will try to save the factory and if things don't work out, by November, we'll be closing our doors. I just don't want to get out of the war without fighting."

"You're putting what we have in risk, Grayson. Why don't you just sell this factory?" Miranda suggested.

"Do you trust me?" Grayson asked caressing her cheek.

"Of course I trust you," Miranda smiled.

"Then let me deal with it," He said.

Miranda was sitting on his legs and his arm was wrapped around her thin body when Grayson kissed his wife on the lips. They seemed happy and Grayson was sure that he would be able to save the factory that had once been his father's and once his grandfather's company. What they didn't know was that saving that factory would be so hard.

Katherine ran back to the kitchen as he heard the noise of feet on the wooden floor inside Grayson's office. She was lucky her mother was not there otherwise she would have a lot of explanation to do on what she was doing inside the house.

Gretel raised Katherine always telling her that they belonged in the kitchen and in the small house outside the huge mansion of the Gilbert's. However, Katherine was never happy to see that Elena and Jeremy had everything and she barely had two pairs of shoes. She was an ambitious girl and she would never settle for little. Things started to change three months back, when a guest of the Gilbert's asked her if she would like to be his partner in something he was planning. Katherine had no idea what the plan was by the time, but if it meant she could destroy the Gilbert's life, she was in.

"Grayson found out that the company is not making any income," It was the first thing Katherine said when he answered the phone.

_"What is he going to do about it?"_ The serious man on the other side of the phone said.

"He said he is going to try to save the factory and if he can't do it, by November he will close the factory..." Katherine explained.

_"Alright. I didn't think he was going to find it out this soon but now we have to start the second part of the plan,"_ He told her. _"Grayson has two months before he closes the factory but guess what? The factory will not close... It'll actually be run by me," _He laughed cruel. _"Grayson was always the good one and the one who deserved everything but now he is going to suffer,"_

"What is the second part of the plan?" Katherine asked curious.

He had promised Katherine to give her everything she had the right to have but no one had ever given her because she was only the maid's daughter.

_"You'll know when it's time for you to know, Katherine,"_ He said before hanging up.

_**Well, guys, again, a long chapter. I hope you liked the length and the content of this chapter… This Katherine will part will be more explained through the story and let's just say the Gilberts will start having a lot of problem. Can you guess anything?**_

_**I've already planned what's going to happen to Delena after Elena gave Jason the number and remember that there was a two weeks time jump.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews you left on last chapter. They made me very happy and I hope you all review now to give me your feedback. This was the hardest chapter to write until now so I can't wait to know what you guys thought of it.**_

_**REVIEW!**_


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